Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2022

Description

Grapefruit, Melon, Oak

"Strapping yet delicate, richly flavoured yet subtle, this sophisticated wine is one of the country's best Chardonnays grown south of Marlborough. Muscular and taut, it typically offers a seamless array of fresh, crisp, citrusy, biscuity, complex flavours and great concentration and length … Bright, light yellow/green, the 2022 is a powerful wine with a fragrant, smoky bouquet. Full of youthful drive, it is mouthfilling and very savoury, with generous, ripe stonefruit flavours, leesy, mealy, biscuity notes adding complexity, finely balanced acidity and a long finish" Michael Cooper, May 2025

"Richly styled with gorgeous complexity, showing grilled pineapple, mango, grapefruit, roasted hazelnut, and flinty characters on the nose. The palate delivers terrific weight and fleshy texture, wonderfully supported by beautifully pitched acidity, finishing impressively long and expansive" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2025

"Bright, even, medium yellow gold. The nose is full, packed with aromas of flintstone overlying citrus, apricot, fine spice and lemon curd. Full-bodied, aromas of grapefruit, apricot and melon interweaved with vanilla, toasty barrel spice, lemon curd and savoury elements. The wine is complex with bold flavours, and toasty barrel details enrich the citrus lead, ripe fruit, layered spice and discreet creaminess. Striking acidity carries a savoury presence and toasty, lengthy linger. This Chardonnay possesses the typical house style, bold yet refined, featuring tension and a long finish" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Mar 2025

"A fabulous wine with classic Pegasus Bay signatures of power and complexity, oak and and myriad fruit ideas. Aromas and flavours of stone and citrus fruits, especially peach and grapefruit, some melon and baked pineapple. Full-bodied on the palate with fruit, alcohol and tannins all contributing to mouthfeel and style. Delicious, flavourful and very moor-ish. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2030" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Mar 2025

Pale yellow in colour, the nose is complex and inviting, with concentrated citrus and bright tropical notes. Suggestions of grapefruit, melon, pineapple and vanilla, wrapped in a smoky mantle, interwoven with toasty barrel spice and savoury nuances of grilled mushroom. The mouthfeel is vigorous and vibrantly fruity, displaying excellent weight and a fleshy texture. A skewer of rousing acidity slices through the core of the wine, adding persistency and structure on the long, salivating finish.

The Donaldson Family have been seriously involved in viticulture and winemaking for over 40 years. Founder Ivan Donaldson planted one of Canterbury’s first vineyards in 1976 and went on to establish Pegasus Bay in 1986 with his wife Christine. It is a true family business, with the second generation now actively involved.

The vineyard is located within the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury, on free draining, north facing terraces. It benefits from being in the lee of the Teviotdale Range, giving maximum protection from the Pacific’s easterly breezes and thus creating a unique mesoclimate. The vines are over 30 years old, with a large proportion planted on their own roots. They are located on the “Glasnevin Gravels” where greywacke stones, silt and loam have been washed down from the mountains over the millennia. The soil is of low fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vine vigour. This produces low yields of optimally ripened, high quality, flavourful grapes, which fully express the qualities of this unique terroir. The vineyard has warm days, but the nights are amongst the coolest in the Waipara Valley, drawing out the ripening period of the grapes, while still retaining good natural acidity.

Average weather over flowering resulted in a balanced crop, meaning no further fruit thinning was carried out. This was followed by a cooler than average summer which delayed ripening. Fortunately, a warm dry autumn allowed the grapes to be left on the vines till later in the season, where they were able to achieve the desired level of ripeness.

We use traditional Burgundian winemaking methods. The fruit was hand-picked in stages during late March and early April, and then gently trodden underfoot to increase complexity and phenolic structure. The free-run, non-clarified juice was then put into large French oak barrels (puncheons), 70% of which were old to limit pickup of oak flavour. In these it underwent primary fermentation by the grapes indigenous yeasts. The wine was then matured in the puncheons on its natural deposits of yeast lees (sur lie). In the summer after harvest, it started to go through spontaneous secondary (malolactic) fermentation. It was regularly tasted during this time and the fermentation was stopped when the ideal balance was obtained. It had approximately 12 months maturation prior to bottling.